


Lonely Just The Same

by UnclePotoos



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oviposition, Tentacles, Xenophilia, blowjob, wholesome tentacle porn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-03 03:41:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11523810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnclePotoos/pseuds/UnclePotoos
Summary: Ship down on an alien ocean world. Crew gone without a trace, leaving Agent McCree alone with only his Athena and his wits. After weeks isolated in foreign waters with no sign of rescue, not even McCree could have dreamed up the bizarre encounter he was about to have in a cave in a mountain.(aka the Subnautica AU no one asked for but too many people ended up wanting after I came up with it, forgive me)





	1. Hiding From The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah this is for Shipwatch Week: Day 1 and yeah that day's for Mythical AUs and this is more Sci-Fi but like, McCree's getting fucked by a beastie and really that's all that matters. 
> 
> This fic was originally for Kink Week back in January but, uh, yeah that didn't happen. Thankfully Silver and Lucy from my discord servers have been gently reminding me to get this fic done or else I would have never gotten this far. It's not done yet but I want to get this first part up for Shipwatch Week. 
> 
> Also this story got a massive rewrite because Mango wanted wholesome tentacle porn and I'm always down for a challenge so it's gonna happen. Hope you enjoy the results of that, and thanks for betaing this first chapter. Will probably go to you soon to beta the next chapter.

**_“Is there a purpose for you to hide from the rain if you have already been submerged in water for seven weeks-three days?”_ **

McCree grimaced as he walked deeper into the cave, sighing as he dropped to the ground in a tired heap. The dirt beneath him was dry and solid, one of the first times he could describe  _ anything _ like that in far too long. Well, in seven week and three days apparently, according to his handheld.

“You ain’t a person, Athena.” McCree dumped his helmet on the ground beside him, not caring that the earth was likely smudging up the glass. He didn’t plan on venturing outside for a while. All there was out there for him was a small beach and an alien ocean that seemed endless. “A man can get sick of water.”

Athena said something back, but he wasn’t listening. The rain was coming down heavily, echoing into the cavern. At least he wasn’t having to hear it patter against his pod,  _ again _ . It felt like it was trying to break in sometimes, especially when the waves battered the sides of it during stormy nights. It was like the sea and sky were trying to take all he had left from him. Hadn’t enough already been taken?

It was an immense comfort to feel cool rock behind his head. Unsurprisingly, it was damp, but McCree would take what he could get. Just finding this little cave as the rain started was a bit of a miracle.

**_“It has been three hours since your last meal. It is recommended that you eat something to maintain optimal health.”_ **

McCree considered turning the sound off for his Athena device for the third time that week, but he had to remind himself that if he did, he’d likely have to come to terms with the fact that he was actually alone. “Roger that.”

As he reached into his pack, McCree was happy to discover the cured fish Athena had pestered him into making earlier. He’d been wanting to just cook the thing, but the device assured him it was smarter to use some of his salt to cure it for later consumption. Now he had some something to snack on while he waited the storm out. For all her faults, Athena sure as hell was good at keeping him alive.

As he picked off bits of the flesh, McCree examined the creature. In the dim light, it looked similar to fish he could find back on Earth, but it surely wasn’t anything he’d ever seen. He ended up calling the thing a “peeper” on account of the massive eyes it had. It was a shame that Athena wasn’t installed with a sarcasm module, or any kind of humor at all. 

McCree missed annoying the crew with his jokes or being able to talk to someone who wasn’t flat or primarily programmed for assistance. Co-Captains Morrison and Reyes were riots, even if most of their responses were eyerolls, and the rest of the main crew were wonderful. On a multi-month expedition, you either ended up trying to kill your crew, or forging unforgettable bonds of companionship. Sometimes both; those were the best ones.

“Hey Athena?”

**_“Yes, Agent McCree?”_ **

The man took another bite of fish, stretching his legs out a bit before continuing. “Make a note for me to go explore the ship’s wreck after this storm passes.”

**_“Agent, we have discussed this. The area around the Overwatch R-76 is a high risk area for leviathan class creatures, and the radioactivity from the ship’s wreckage alone makes it potentially unsafe for expedition.”_ **

“I know, I know…” McCree yanked off his suit’s gloves, stuffing them in his pack before shaking his hand out. The saltwater had been stiffening them over the weeks. “It’s just… I’ve gone through those comms tens o’ times. The captains, the Amaris, the crew… no one was at their locations. None. They can’t all’ve not made it. Ana’s worlds more capable than I am. I don’t care if all she could get out was a distress call. She’s gotta still be out there. The ship has to have answers. Doesn’t it?”

Athena didn’t seem to be programmed with a response to that. Maybe she was learning, and knew silence was a better answer for McCree than arguing with him. It wasn’t a battery issue; he checked the device attached to his hip just in case it shut down without notifying him. 28%. He was going to have to replace the battery soon.

McCree couldn’t tell how long the storm had gone on, but the rain didn’t seem to be letting up. He figured that he’d be only halfway through his fish before it got decent. By the time he had just the bones left, it had only gotten worse. Nature apparently decided today would be the day it would fuck with him and flood this world further. 

Maybe that was why this planet appeared to be entirely ocean. No name for it on this galaxy’s map; just a generic list of numbers signifying that it was unexplored, but protected under the UN’s possession of this galaxy track. Perhaps intense rains flooded this world and buried the land in water. This mountain was the tallest peak, and only now was it going to be claimed by rains. Or it was just raining a lot and McCree was going to have to be patient.

**_“Would you like my analysis of this landform’s structure?”_ **

McCree had learned by now that a shrug was not sufficient enough of a response for the device, but he still found himself doing it anyway. “Anythin’ to pass the time.”

**_“Based on the echo patterns, it is likely that this passage extends further in the mountain into a larger cavern.”_ **

“Huh, no foolin’?”

**_“You know I do not attempt deception, Agent.”_ **

Sometimes he wasn’t sure if device  _ was _ installed with a humor module, just one so dry he couldn’t catch it. “Well Athena, you wanna go on a lil excursion?”

**_“As long as you do not intend to make unnecessarily hazardous decisions.”_ **

“No promises, ma’am.” Shuffling to his feet, McCree stood up in the cavern with his helmet in hand. The rock was merely a foot over his head. He didn’t remember it hanging so low, but it was fine. If Athena’s analysis was correct, it would likely rise, and even if it didn’t, it wasn’t like he couldn’t just turn around and walk back out to the mouth of the cavern.

\-------------------

“Huh, you weren’t kiddin’ Athena.”

**_“I will withhold comment.”_ **

“You do that, honey. I’ll just, take this in… yeah…”

McCree had expected an expansive cave. He didn’t anticipate a pocket cavern with a pool of what could only be described as liquid moonlight left forgotten. The light was dim, but in the dark mountain it seemed ethereal. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, seemingly waving as the light from the pool below reflected off them.

“Hey, Athena, can you test this water,” McCree requested as he placed his helmet on a pile of rock.

**_“What for?”_ **

“Drinkability, preferably.” Walking up to the edge of the pool, he knelt down and removed the device from his hip. After a small rod extended out of the bottom of it, he stuck it into the pool and waited till it beeped. “Well?”

**_“Analyzing… the water appears to have a pH of 7.2 and is primarily free of harmful contaminants. It is similar in composition to fresh water that your body would be able to process, but also contains foreign minerals likely introduced by local flora. Assessment: caution is always to be taken, but it appears mostly safe. Ingest a small quantity and wait an hour before ingesting more.”_ **

A holo-screen popped up on the device, reading out images that were likely going into further details about the water’s composition. It wasn’t anything McCree could read too far into, but Athena spelled it out enough for him to understand. Drink a bit, make sure it wasn’t gonna kill him, then drink more later.

“Sounds good. Time to science.” He was pretty sure the device sighed at his quip, but he was preoccupied with getting a handful of the shimmering water to drink. Peering further into the pool, it seemed that the water itself wasn’t glowing, but the flora inside it made it glow. It also seemed less of a pool and more of a water-filled cavern that burrowed into the earth. Perhaps something he could explore later.

Bringing the liquid to his lips, McCree braved a small sip. Pleasantly cool, he was surprised to find it quite palatable. After surviving on lukewarm filtered water for weeks, this was a gift. He was tempted to drink more, but he knew Athena’s warning was smart to follow. If it did indeed disagree with him, he wasn’t in the mood to get sick.

**_“Would you like for me to set a timer for an hour from now?”_ **

McCree slipped his gloves back on, brushing the dirt from his knees as he stood from the pool’s edge. “Yeah, that’d be swell. Thanks hon.”

There wasn’t much in the pocket. The pool filled up the majority of the space, and the walls were nothing but bare rock. The rain echoed through the cavern, muffled by the earth. 

It was calm.

The outside felt so far away, only the storm reminding him that there was a world outside the rock walls. It was strange for McCree to feel so at ease. No unsteady ground beneath. No potential threats that might pop out of nowhere. It was just… nice.

“Athena, can I ask you something?”

**_“Of course.”_ **

“Do you honestly believe that someone will come for us?” McCree walked away from the pool, placing a hand on his helmet. 

The glass was cool, still messy from the dirt. When McCree first got it, it shined with a never-used gleam. New equipment for a new expedition. Pretty standard practice, but now it seemed more crucial than ever that it had been in such prime condition. The aggressive creatures in this ocean were vicious, and the helmet had saved his ass more than once. Athena sure gave him an earful when he was safe, but the helmet took the brunt of the beatings. He could remember several encounters as his thumb ran over a deep groove in the back.

**_“We have no way of knowing if the captains were able to launch the ship’s distress signal before jetsen. If so, we have a significantly larger chance of someone picking it up if they passed by this galaxy.”_ **

McCree traced another scratch, eyes cast downward. “And if someone doesn’t?”

**_“...then the port we were destined to dock at three months-fourteen days from now will realize that something went awry. If protocol is followed, they will communicate with the UN and try to compare received logs and locate the Overwatch R-76’s last known position. It is possible that it was nearby this planet, but it is also possible that it was back when we entered this galaxy tract.”_ **

“So basically, don’t expect anything?”

**_“Unfortunately.”_ **

“Great.” He drummed his fingers on the glass, trying to remain cool but underlying anger bubbling beneath his flesh. “We’ll just have to wait then. That’ll be… we’ll be fine.”

As he tried to keep from gripping the helmet in his hand and throwing it against the wall, McCree looked up at it. He could see the pool behind him, calm and shimmery. The only thing disrupting it in the reflection was the craggy rocks around it and the orb with glowing circles by the nearby shore.

Wait.

Turning heel, McCree felt a chill run down his spine as he stared out at the pool. Hovering above the surface was a… head? He wasn’t sure what to call it. Against the light of the water, it seemed dark blue, with two massive eyes that glowed stronger than most of the flora he’d seen on the planet. They seemed fixed on him, as if the creature were staring at him. The fins on either side of its head flicked lightly, curiously.

McCree had no idea how to handle… whatever this was. Nervously, he took a small step towards it, holding his hand up slightly as a sign of submission. “...’ello?”

**_“Agent, it is unlikely this creature understands English.”_ **

McCree jumped at Athena’s suggestion, certainly tense about the entire situation. “Goddamnit, I know that! Do ya have any better ideas though? I’d love to hear them, and don’t spook me like that.”

**_“Understood. You are free to ignore this creature, but if you choose to attempt to engage with it, proceed with caution.”_ **

If Athena were a person, McCree would have been tempted to throttle her in this moment. “You are just full ‘o wisdom, aren’t ya?”

**_“I am merely giving you my assessment of the situation.”_ **

“Thanks darlin’, will do.”

With no strengthened resolve, McCree tried to approach the creature again. Coming closer, he began to see it more clearly. It was… something. 

Like someone had captured the night sky in the ocean current and formed it into something not quite human, yet not quite beast. Flesh like midnight, skin speckled with soft blue stars like the flora within the cavern. Its eyes were ever staring, never blinking. They glowed the same color as its freckles, but more brilliantly, betraying anyone who thought there was no life behind them. It was so still, save the impressive fins on either side of its head that pulsed gently with movement, easy like the rise and fall of a person’s chest as they breathed.

The creature was... eerie, yet undeniably alluring. McCree wasn’t much of a cautious man, but he still hovered his hand over the hilt of his knife as he approached the pool’s edge. His fingers twitched for something with more firepower, but he was confident he could at least deter this creature if need be with just his knife.

“Hey there,” McCree waved at the creature, still maintaining a fair distance as he walked up. “You’re a pretty lil thang, aren’t ya?” 

_ ‘Perhaps.’ _


	2. Sudden Exposure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forget the storm, forget the crash. Foolish decisions can sometimes be the fatalist things, outside of the ones that no one can control. Loss is hard, but the loneliness that follows can sometimes be the greater devastation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so dang long to come out. I started a new job and it's been kicking my butt. Also the new event came out and I admitted have been putting a lot of attention into getting credits for it, specifically the Grillmaster: 76 skin. I have needs, and also I like playing video games. 
> 
> Regardless, thanks so much to those who loved the first chapter and gave me so much support to continue. I originally had fully intended to finish this fic to begin with, but having had it had it gotten such a positive reception is wonderful. If you're coming back after subscribing to chapter one, thanks for coming back for chapter two! If this is your first time checking out this fic and you decided to keep reading, I'm hoping you also enjoy this chapter too.
> 
> These two games mean a heck of a lot to me, and being able to make something that brings them together (as weird of a crossover this is) and have people enjoyed it has been a great experience.
> 
> Also shout out to Mango for betaing again, and Tsol for jumping onto the beta crew!

McCree nearly jumped out of his suit as he heard a voice in his head. Quiet and calm, but nothing he’d ever heard before. Without thinking, his hand flew to his hip, gripping the small pocket knife that was hooked next to his Athena. The creature swiftly responded to his sudden movement, fins flaring up and eyes narrowing. It didn’t move much beyond this, but it was clear the creature was on the defensive, focusing on where McCree’s hand had gone.

_‘I do not mean you harm.’_

McCree hadn’t realized he’d gone for his knife. Still stiff with nerves, McCree’s eyes flicked between the creature and his hand. He gripped the hard plastic with twitchy fingers, and putting it back on his belt was harder than he would have thought it to be.

“Oh, shit, my bad. Bit’a trigger fingers.” After releasing it and quickly slipping off his gloves, McCree held his hands out to the creature, showing them empty. “See, nothin’ there. Just a bit startled.”

Moving closer to the pool’s edge, the creature examined McCree’s hands. It was hard to see exactly where it was looking since it had nothing in terms of pupils, but it felt like it was looking between them and his face.

_‘Hm…. I see. My apologies for startling you.’_

“Oh, no need…”

The creature seemed to relax, its fins flattening back down against its head. The situation felt defused, thankfully, but now the utter confusion settled back in. McCree felt out of sorts, kicking at the dirt as he scratched at his head. Words were escaping him.

“So, um… you… uh….”

 _‘Yes?’_ The creature was strange. It floated to the shore of the pool and brought its arms up, resting them on the edge. It seemed eerily human, if you ignored the slick blue skin, clawed fingers, and overall alien-like features. Though it was hard to see in the dim light, McCree could tell its mouth was nothing like his own. It was more like a turtle’s, mouth creased from jaw hinge to jaw hinge. He’d no idea how it was able to communicate telepathically, but it sure as hell wasn’t gonna say anything that made sense to him with that kind of mouth.

“You, uh… how do you know my language?”

A quiet grumble bubbled from the creature’s throat, something that sounded almost like a chuckle. _‘How exactly, I do not know. It is just something I am able to do.’_

“Huh, no foolin’?”

 _‘I have done no fooling, uh…”’_ It paused in the middle of its thought, seeming like it had forgotten what it was saying.

“What’s wrong?”

The creature’s attention flickered away for a moment. _“I realize that I do not know what to refer to you by. I am assuming you would not appreciate if I were to call you ‘land-thing’, no?”_

“Oh, uh, yeah, right on the nose.” McCree was surprised by the question, almost as much as he was shocked that it spoke far more eloquently than he expected a creature on this planet to. “Call me McCree, ‘s what my crew called me. You got something you’d like me to call you too?”

 _“Hanzo.”_ The creature--Hanzo--folded his arms as he rested against the pool’s shore. _“You may call me Hanzo. That is what my pod has called me-”_

McCree was intent on listening, but Hanzo’s voice became muffled as Athena began to speak up, mingling with Hanzo’s and making it near impossible to listen to either. In an annoyed huff, McCree poked at the device at his hip until he hit the mute button, sighing as Athena fell quiet. She was likely to be pissed later when he switched the mute off, but for now he figured it’d be fine to silence her for a bit.

“Sorry, about that, but you were talkin’ bout a pod ‘o your’s? ‘S that mean there’re more of ya out in these waters?”

Hanzo’s head fell slightly. _“In theory, yes. In reality… I have no idea.”_

“What’d’ya mean?”

He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but McCree could swear he saw his face falling before him, frowning even though he was expressionless. The creature shifted awkwardly before giving him an answer.

_“My brother and I were separated from our pod quite some time ago. Even then we had not seen any others in… I honestly do not know how long; I was quite young.”_

The voice in McCree’s head suddenly sounded quiet and tired. “I’m gonna take a guess and say that ain’t normal.”

_“Which are you… actually, neither thing is normal. There is not a need for clarification.”_

“Guess not, no.” McCree scratched his beard, working out a bit of sea salt that’d dried in it. “You mentioned a brother, though. What happened to him?”

Hanzo remained silent, and as it didn’t alleviate soon, McCree took the opportunity to sit down before him. Coming down to a more even level with the creature helped him realize that he was fairly big, at least all of him that he could see. Only his torso was visible out of the water, and the natural dark color of his flesh made the rest of him seemingly melt into the pool. If his lower half was close to humanoid, McCree would guess that he were a good foot or so taller than him, and that was saying a lot. McCree knew he was a big guy, and this creature… he was _big_.

“It’s alright ift ya ain’t comfortable talkin’ ‘bout it. I’m just glad to be able to actually have a conversation with someone. You’re the first livin’ thing I’ve seen in a good while that hasn’t tried to outright kill me, ‘sides some of them lil critters out there. They don’t talk much though.”

He swore he heard a soft humored chuff come from Hanzo. _“I can imagine, with as delicate of a being as you appear to be.”_

McCree was left slightly agaped.

“Excuse me, but delicate?” Hanzo blinked. “I am sorry my good sir, but I don’ believe I would refer to myself like that.”

Hanzo shook his head, holding his hand out to McCree and beckoning him closer. The clawed fingers didn’t seem as sharp as they did when McCree caught a glance at them earlier. Still, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be wickedly dangerous.

McCree scooted closer, just barely in arm’s reach. Hanzo’s hand remained out, silent yet expectant, likely requesting for McCree to return the gesture and offer his own hand. Not wishing to disrespect the creature but also not wishing to comply at the moment, McCree tried to appear unaware of the clear meaning of the gesture. Just because Hanzo could communicate with him verbally didn’t mean all body language would translate cross-species.

He felt like a bit of a jerk, but McCree honestly had no idea what to anticipate from a creature like Hanzo. Sitting closer, he could only now begin to see what he hid beneath the water, and unless the dim lights in the pool were playing tricks on him, it appeared to be a lot of thick tentacles. They rippled lazily in the slow current of the pool, not likely needed as Hanzo laid down on the shore. There was no telling how strong or quick they could be in action. They likely were _both_ devastatingly powerful and swift, knowing how creatures on this planet had a knack for being frustratingly well evolved to bring on the pain.

Athena would chew his ass out later if he allowed her to find out he was putting himself in such a close and vulnerable position to a completely alien being such as Hanzo.

There wasn’t much she could do, and was basically useless while muted. She was likely to be peeved once he unmuted her, but that was kind of a matter of _if_ he was going to be able to do that, i.e. have things not go horribly south right here. McCree honestly wouldn’t mind if he ended up being fine after this conversation ended, with only having Athena scolding him for making an idiotic move just so that he could talk to someone that wasn’t a tablet.

_“May I see your hand please?”_

McCree scowled. “What for?”

_“I wish to explain my point, now may I see your hand?”_

Now how could he deny him if he was gonna ask so politely?

McCree held out his hand, and Hanzo gently took it into his own. His flesh was cold, but significantly less slimy than McCree expected. The feeling of it conjured up memories of when he met a dolphin. Smooth, almost synthetic, though anything that felt foreign was likely not going to feel quite real. Even as Hanzo’s fingers gently pressed into his hand and examined them, there was a small part of McCree that wondered if all this was some dream he was having while curled up in his pod, waiting for the storm to pass.

_“Like I was saying, look how soft your flesh is. It would tear quite easily if I applied even minimal pressure with my claw point.”_

McCree honestly had mentally checked out when Hanzo took his hand, thinking too much about how it felt against his own.

“Well, probably, but that’s why I wear gloves normally.”

 _“Gloves?”_ McCree grabbed at his belt with his free hand to pull out one of them. The black material of it made it a bit hard to see in the darkness of the cavern, so he batted away Hanzo’s hold on him to tug it on.

The nature of the wetsuit was already tight fitting, but the material of them were designed to conform with the user’s unique builds and shapes impressively fast. The glove fitted back on, for lack of better terms, like a glove, smooth and watertight. It looked basically seamless with the rest of the suit that encased McCree’s arm.

“It’s kinda like armor, I guess. One of my crewmates designed these suits with some kinda reinforced material, I think carbon fiber? I'm not really sure, Torb talks pretty fast and his accent don't help. I just know that these things are built damn tough, and that one of them long biters I found out there couldn't gnaw through it. Left me a bit of a nasty bruise on my arm though.”

It took McCree till the end of his spiel to realize that Hanzo wasn't really listening to him. Ever since he let the creature take back his hand, he'd been examining it in close detail. Claws gently dragging across the material, sliding up to where the glove connected with the rest of the suit, as if trying to find where the two met.

 _“So this,”_ Hanzo said while focusing on the material of the suit. _“This is not your own flesh?”_

“Ah, no, unfortunately. It's more like a secondary skin, to compare it to anythin’.”

 _“So what are you like beneath this layer, if I may ask?”_ Hanzo looked over him, certainly more scrutinizing than before. _“I am not familiar with this type of practice.”_

“Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll let you in on what I've got hidin’ underneath.” McCree winked and flashed a charming smile, and was kinda pleased to feel Hanzo’s judgemental expression. “Actually it ain't all that special. It's a lot like my hand, pretty soft and ‘delicate’, as you put it. I gotta take it off to do some things or just clean it, but most of the time this is all I'm wearin’. Keeps me safe.”

_“....that is impressive.”_

“Ya think?”

 _“Of course.”_ Hanzo slid up more, now almost in an awkward sitting position. Looking down, McCree confirmed what he thought he’d seen earlier: various tentacles making up Hanzo’s lower half, like a squid. It was like a squid merman, but a lot more fishy up top than the highly-humanoid fishmen he'd become familiar with in movies and stories. He bet that if he tried to explain it to his crew, he'd sound like a madman, describing in detail what probably seemed like a nightmarish creature.

He wouldn’t be doing Hanzo any justice; the creature was eerily lovely, unreal and alien and yet so captivating.

_“Creating an artificial layer of skin to protect yourself when your own biology can not. It is a concept I have heard of, but I have never seen it done with such… sophistication…”_

Hanzo’s voice trailed off as his claw slipped into the end of the glove, gently sliding it up to his wrist and revealing a sliver of flesh. He slipped the tip beneath the end of the sleeve and gave it similar treatment, tugging it up barely before the material gave much resistance against McCree’s forearm. He was ever-so curious.

_“Could I see beneath it?”_

McCree blinked, not entirely sure what he heard. “‘Excuse me?”

 _“It is alright if you do not wish remove the suit!”_ Hanzo backed off suddenly, as if afraid of having asked the question in the first place. _“I realize that it might make you uncomfortable to be without it on. Please disregard my request if so. I realize I have only just met you… and I too have not seen anyone in a long time. I do not wish to--”_

“Hey, Han, it’s okay!” McCree reached out and grabbed Hanzo’s shoulder, making the creature jolt but go quiet. The poor guy got rambling nervously, even if his voice was so even in McCree’s head. “It’s just… that ain’t something I was thinkin’ I’d be hearin’ for a while.”

_“What do you mean?”_

“I… actually, nevermind.” McCree pulled his hand away, the chill feeling of Hanzo’s skin still lingering on his fingertips. “I can show you, just, gimme a minute…”

Athena would absolutely kill him if she ever found out what he was about to do. Actually, she was going to find out very quickly, since the sensors in his suit that kept track of his biometrics would send her warnings that the suit was being undone.

McCree was grateful he’d muted her as he undid the latch for his zipper. He didn’t need her screaming at him, making him even more uneasy about opening up his suit. It wasn’t like he was going to dress down to his birthday suit, but just pulling down the zipper to reveal his chest to the open air was a bit intimidating. He hadn’t even removed his gloves outside the life pod besides once or twice, let alone undone his suit. He was so utterly screwed if Hanzo suddenly decided to turn on him.

The creature followed his hands intensely, blinking as he watched the suit open up to reveal the hairy plane of McCree’s torso. McCree felt weirdly exposed, like he had back when he first crashed on this planet and discovered he had only this suit and a knife to protect himself. Somehow it’d gotten him here, deep in a cavern with a sea beast that was reaching towards his chest hesitantly.

Wait, what?

McCree had spaced out, coming back in time to feel Hanzo press his hand against his chest. The surprise of it made him jump, and the cold water clinging to his skin didn’t help either. Hanzo froze, refusing to make eye contact, and McCree was honestly at a loss for what to say. It was obvious that Hanzo was silently asking if this was alright, and McCree certainly hadn’t been prepared for this to occur. He wasn’t finding himself overwhelmingly panicked, so he placed his own hand over Hanzo’s and squeezed.

McCree couldn’t say he trusted Hanzo, but yet he found himself alright with letting him be so intimately close to him. He was reminded how much smaller he was than him, the hand beneath his own immensely bigger, fingers easily stretching across the plane of his chest as Hanzo began to spread out his hand and slip the tips beneath the suit. The creature could probably kill him very swiftly if he wanted to right now. McCree could feel the brush of claws against his skin, likely able to shred it into bloody ribbons with ease.

He was in one of the most dangerous positions he’d been in since crashing, but he couldn’t find it in himself to want to pull away. It’d been so long since he’d been touched, and even though Hanzo’s skin was cool, it quickly became warm against McCree’s chest, gently pressing into it and feeling the hairy surface. He might die because he wanted to indulge in the littlest bit of affection, and McCree couldn’t say that he would be surprised.

Hanzo’s hand slid down a bit more, caressing the soft swell of McCree’s belly. The touch felt shy, and McCree was about to let his eyes flutter shut when he felt something else press against his chest. Looking down, he was shocked to discover Hanzo resting his head against him, and chirping softly. He almost sounded sad, yearning, the sounds resonating in McCree’s chest uncomfortably. At a loss of what to do, McCree brought his free hand up to Hanzo’s head and began to stroke it. The shape of it was… odd… and Hanzo quickly pressed into the touch and his quiet cries soothed, but McCree could feel that something was still wrong.

 _“...my world is sick, McCree.”_ McCree remained silent, still stroking Hanzo’s head but having nothing of use to say; the statement didn’t shock him.

He had been on this planet long enough to notice that _something_ was wrong. He’d found parts of the sea floor where all the life that had been there was just gone, like something had come through and made the natural growth just shrivel away. Some of it glowed strangely, and didn’t look quite right to similar types of flora. This was also true with some of the fauna, but McCree had never put any of this together until now. He had been through an ordeal, and the state of this planet’s life wasn’t very high on his priority list until it was suddenly thrust into his attention.

_“I was not alive for very long before it happened, and I have only been told of what transpired. I was not old enough to have remembered what occurred, but people came. They came from the sky, sunk deep beneath the earth, and built many structures. Huge, unnatural masses that surged with power. These people manufactured them and kept taking things inside, like young that could not swim away fast enough or eggs from those who could not defend their nests. Nothing that went in came out, and it went on for so long… and then one day something destroyed one of them and the world fell ill.”_

McCree felt claws dig into his skin slightly, likely the result of Hanzo recounting what seemed to be a terrifying story, especially if he was only a youngster.

_“It happened so fast; the water felt thick with sickness in a matter of days, no matter where we went. There was so much death. Everywhere, there was just death. Over half of my pod was lost to it, this... disease... that was released after that mass got destroyed. Only some of us were able to get to safer waters, but it has become impossible to escape entirely.”_

“So that’s what you meant earlier, when you said you hadn’t seen much o’ you besides your pod?” McCree felt Hanzo nod against his chest, his hand tightening again and making McCree wince quietly. “Is it what caused you and your brother to get separated from them too?”

_“Not… entirely.”_

Hanzo pulled away from McCree and looked up at him. His eyes seemed dimmer than normal, looked so tired. He sounded exhausted.

_“Our pod lost so many, and most of us that were left were slowly growing sick. My brother and I were one of the few who did not seem affected, and I… I started forming eggs…”_

“Eggs?” McCree wasn't expecting to hear _that_ of all things, but he didn't know anything about the biology of the creatures here.

Hanzo nodded. _“Normally it should not have happened this soon, but it did. After everything that had happened, perhaps this was a blessing, but my brother and I left our pod to try and find me a viable host for them on our own… that is when we got separated.”_

McCree nodded, trying to follow along. “What happened to your brother?”

Hanzo grew uncomfortably still. _“I do not know. We found this cavern, and he went out, and then he just… never came back…”_

McCree expected him to continue, but his prolonged silence told him that he wasn't going to give much more detail. His voice was quiet, and pained. It probably hurt to have to think about it all again.

“How long ago did this all happen?”

Hanzo shrugged. _“I honestly could not tell you. Something shook the waters recently in a way I have never felt before, but besides that I know the moon has passed many times, and I am pushing the end of how long I can go without releasing my eggs.”_

“I see…” McCree sat still, hand over Hanzo’s, gently stroking it with his thumb in easy circles. His ship crashing was likely what Hanzo was talking about, the thing that ‘shook the waters,’ but if that was recent, then that meant Hanzo’d been here for ages. “So you've just, been waitin’ ‘round here hopin’ he'd come back?”

 _“It is foolish, but yes.”_ Hanzo sounded so broken up. _“I have lost so much, and my brother is the only thing I may be able to get back. My young are the only thing that keep me here, but there is no chance that I could find a host for them soon enough. It pains me bitterly that I may have wasted all this time hoping he would return when he was unable to at all. He may even be dead… he has likely already been dead for quite some time…”_

Hanzo's hand slumped into McCree’s lap. It was heavy, and in a weird way, a comforting presence. Maybe it was because he'd been alone for so long, but just having something alive and warm sitting in his lap made McCree feel okay for the first time in a while. Made him feel like making more dumb decisions that Athena would heavily disprove of.

“I'm real damn sorry ‘bout your brother, Han.” McCree brought his hand up and placed it back onto Hanzo’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “I don't think there's much I can do to help ya, even though I wish I could. But… if there's anythin’ I can do to help ya with your eggs, lemme know.”

The silence that followed was calm and easy, but suddenly McCree felt Hanzo tense under his touch. It was as if a spark had made his muscles tighten, but just barely for a moment. His hand twitched. It very quickly felt very weird.

 _“I… no, I could not ask you to assist me. I would not feel right about it.”_ Hanzo quickly drew away, slinking back into the water. McCree wasn't about to let himself be out-stubborned.

“Now hold on just a minute.” McCree got his last word out before Hanzo could sink beneath the pool’s surface. “Ya can't just swim away from me without even givin’ me a chance to help you out, Han! I've been through my own hell recently, and I can’t possibly understand how shitty your life’s been up to this point, but _fuck_. I ain't got nothin’ right now. I can't even be sure if anyone will realize my crew and I've been gone until ages from now.”

He felt his chest tightening, and his breathing becoming heavy as he tried to fight off a momentary burst of sorrow. “...I don’t even know if anyone from my crew made it out of the crash ‘sides me. Just, lemme help ya. Please, I’m beggin’ here.”

McCree scooted up to the water’s edge and held out his hand, a bit shaken from his sudden outburst but trying to collect his frayed edges. Hanzo looked at it shyly.

_“I am not sure you are aware of what you are offering, McCree.”_

McCree shrugged. “Maybe not, but the worst I can do is turn ya down hon. Like I said, I ain't got much goin’ on right now, so I've got plenty of time to help ya out with whatever you need. Just… let me help you, please.”

He was still for what felt like ages, but eventually with a cautious reluctance, Hanzo slipped his hand into McCree’s, squeezing gently. _“Alright… I will place my trust in you, but you must promise to hear me out to completion before making any decisions of proceeding forward. Am I clear?”_

“Like crystal.”  McCree smiled, letting his voice hang low. “So tell me, what’m I in for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry no hot tasty action yet, I swear the next (and final) chapter will have a lot of that good stuff. I just like to do build-up with this kinda stuff, so I hope you enjoy the payoff.
> 
> Fingers crossed I can get the last chapter out before too long!!

**Author's Note:**

> Here's link to some of the people I mentioned in the notes above so you can go and bother them:
> 
> Uncle Potoos  
> \- Tumblr: http://unclepotoos.tumblr.com/
> 
> Lucy  
> \- AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acrxphxbia/pseuds/acrxphxbia  
> \- Tumblr: http://acrxphxbia.tumblr.com/
> 
> Mango  
> \- AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/malevolentmango
> 
> Silver  
> \- AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unchained_Silver/pseuds/Unchained_Silver


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